Why a Free Society Cannot Transform Wishes into Rights

in news •  last year 

Benjamin Franklin is said to have written, “If man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles.” He was referring to the problems our wishes would cause ourselves. But we go far beyond causing ourselves problems whenever we try to transform our wishes into rights.

Source: Why a Free Society Cannot Transform Wishes into Rights - Foundation for Economic Education

It's not uncommon these days to see people claim various things as rights that are no such thing. Health care is a good example. First you have to define what a right is. While it can be difficult to put in words, essentially a right, I would argue, is anything that one wants to do that does not directly harm others. Some commonly recognized rights include freedom of speech and the right to life. You can usually think of rights in terms of the converse. Does someone else have the right to shut you up? Do they have the right to take your life?

While there are many who believe our rights come from God, religion is not necessary to believe in rights. Rights are things we are born with that someone else does not have the right to take away from us through the use of force. They don't come from other people or governments (though often times other people and governments are capable of violating your rights and it can be legal to do so). Laws and rights should not be confused. Laws can certainly violate rights.

So why is something like healthcare not a right? Essentially it's because it requires someone else to do something for you. It requires someone else to pay for your healthcare if you cannot, or even for doctors to be forced to provide care, or in even more extreme circumstances for people to be forced to become doctors, produce medical equipment, etc. After all, how can healthcare be called a "right" if it is unavailable? Anything that requires action by another cannot be a right. This is the definition of slavery. You can not make something a right that would violate the rights of others.

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